So here we go again. Serious violence, if not outright war, is imminent in Gaza and Israel. This time, Hamas has rockets that can travel to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, upping the ante a few notches.
Violence is a lot uglier up close than as seen on TV, whether delivered by land, sea, piloted aircraft, or drones. Delivered by our continuously improving technology, it obliterates not only buildings and people, but the promise of improved lives brought on by our continuously improving technology.
To that end, we’ve included Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria in our Tau Institute research, as we seek to uncover the developing world’s diamonds in the rough and the developed world’s sterling performers. We’ve also included several Gulf States and Northern African nations.
This entire part of the world does well in our rankings, exceptionally so when we consider the violence that’s been part of its fabric. (And I say this knowing that more than 100 people will be murdered throughout the United States this week-end.)
Among the 102 countries we’ve surveyed, we find Egypt, Yemen, Jordan Syria ranking near or above the world average in potential, with Egypt scoring in the world’s Top 20. Among developed nations, Israel scores among the Top 10 with the most potential.
The Middle East and North Africa aren’t as dynamic overall in our findings as are Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia, but the regions are on a par with Latin America and have several places with strong ICT growth and great potential. This message must be delivered behind the podium or lectern at a peaceful hotel or in a classroom, not in chaotic streets in the midst of an air raid.
My hopes are that madness will not rule the week-end in this part of the world, despite all the evidence that it will.